István

I started practicing yoga in 2005 in the hope of overcoming a disease considered incurable by Western medicine. I achieved this goal with unexpected speed and effectiveness, which still helps maintain my unwavering enthusiasm for the science of yoga. After my recovery, an active search period followed. After trying various hatha yoga styles, my attention increasingly turned toward ashtanga vinyasa yoga.

The firm foundation of the stability of the mind is careful practice performed continuously, without interruption, over a long period of time. - Patanjali Yoga Sutras I.14

After three years of active asana practice, guided by an inexplicable, sudden decision, I moved to India for a year. I spent the first months in the Himalayas in the company of various gurus, sadhus, and illusionists, with active tuning, practice, and searching for my path. This is where I began to seriously engage with ashtanga vinyasa yoga.

In the second half-year, under the strict supervision of South Indian masters, I practiced 6-7 hours daily. By then, I was primarily focused on studying the ashtanga system. In Mysore, I completed a teacher training course at the Sthalam 8 Ashtanga Institute, where the high standard of theoretical and practical training was ensured by professors and students from Mysore University. My teachers were: BNS Iyengar, V. Sheshadri, Vinay Kumar, and Ajay Kumar.

In 2013, driven by professional curiosity, I applied to and was accepted into KPJAYI, the ashtanga vinyasa yoga institution with the greatest tradition worldwide. This fundamentally changed my previous "ashtanga" perspective and approach; there was no question that this is where I wanted to study from then on.

Currently, I visit Mysore every year, the SYC (the successor institution to KPJAYI), and my Guru, R. Sharath Jois, to maintain my continuous development.

As a practitioner following a yogic lifestyle, beyond regular practical and theoretical training, I place special importance on proper, ethical nutrition. As a member of the Vegan Society, I maintain a vegan lifestyle.

...Yoga is not for everyone; it's an extremely complex system. I would like you to think carefully about your decision before you begin. Yoga turns your whole life upside down because you start to feel truly good (...) It may also happen that you leave your job and go to India. Therefore, please consider very carefully whether you want to start it... (David Williams)

After 4 years of intensive teaching experience, in August 2013, I opened my own yoga school, Bandha Works, with the blessing of R. Sharath Jois. Since then, I have been practicing and teaching here with unwavering enthusiasm and faith.

In 2017, I received the KPJAYI Authorized Level 1 teaching title from my Guru, R. Sharath Jois.

In January 2018, I had the great honor of being an assistant teacher for a month alongside my Guru at KPJAYI in India.

KPJAYI Mysore, India. 2018.